From the Kitchen to the Camera: Economic Empowerment and Shifting Gender Norms among Female Content Creators in Central India

This study explores the burgeoning phenomenon of female digital content creation in Central India, examining how it serves as a catalyst for economic empowerment and the subsequent shifts in traditional gender norms. Set against the backdrop of a region characterized by deep-rooted patriarchal structures, the paper investigates the transformative journey of women who have leveraged social media platforms to turn domestic skills, particularly culinary arts, into viable economic enterprises. Drawing on a qualitative methodology, including in-depth interviews and case studies of prominent female creators from states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, this research analyzes how the digital space facilitates new avenues for financial independence. The findings reveal that content creation provides women with not only a significant source of income but also a platform for self-expression and community building, fundamentally altering their status within the family and society. By monetizing labor that was previously unpaid and confined to the private sphere, these women challenge the traditional valuation of domestic work. This economic agency often leads to a renegotiation of household power dynamics, with male family members frequently transitioning into supportive roles as collaborators in these new digital businesses. However, this transition is not without complexities. Women must navigate the dual pressures of maintaining their domestic responsibilities while managing their online careers, alongside facing online scrutiny and societal resistance. They often strategically frame their content within acceptable cultural boundaries, reinforcing certain aspects of domesticity even as they subvert the economic dependency traditionally associated with it. Ultimately, this paper argues that the digital content creation ecosystem in Central India represents a nuanced and evolving site of feminist practice. It demonstrates how technology and media are enabling women to move from the kitchen to the camera, creating a powerful, albeit complex, pathway toward economic autonomy and the gradual erosion of restrictive gender norms.